Integrated circuit boards are part and parcel of daily life. There is a special class of integrated circuit boards used in the United States by telephone companies. Such boards are an integral part of the great efficiency of any telephone system, especially the United States telephone system. These specialized boards are used in great numbers and have a particular structure. The integrated circuit board includes a platform and an end piece secured in a perpendicular manner to the platform. The platform carries the desired circuit. The end piece serves a carrying, inserting, removing or other function for the printed circuit board. Furthermore, the end piece assists in the placing of the printed circuit board into the desired circuit.
It is highly desirable to transport these boards in an efficient and effective manner. It is also desirable to store these boards efficiently, while making them easily retrievable and accessible. The prior art shows several containers for use in transporting the circuit boards. These prior art containers for an integrated circuit board lack the easy readability required for easy recovery from storage.
Such a container also lacks the ability to withstand the rough physical and electrostatic conditions inherent in transporting of the integrated circuit board. Both the physical and electrostatic transporting conditions can damage the board and prevent proper operation of the board when the final destination is reached. Typical of a physical problem is a cracked or otherwise damaged board. A typical electrostatic problem occurs when an electrostatic charge causes damage to a board component. This electrostatic charge may render the board completely inoperative or cause a substandard performance of the board. The container must, therefore, provide protection against both the physical and electrostatic problems or conditions.
Also it is desirable to have the containers for integrated circuit boards be of the stacking or nesting type. If the containers for the integrated circuit boards stack or nest, the container and the board therein are both easier to transport and easier to store upon receipt; especially for a great quantity thereof. Yet providing stacking or nesting capabilities interferes with the determination and cataloging of the various boards that are received.
Important also is determination of the appropriate type of material for construction of the container and what type of construction can be used to efficiently form the container. Additionally, it must be determined what type of special requirement such as antistatic, conductive, non-conductive or other shielding is required. A further determination requires the consideration of temperature limits, to which the container and the board will be exposed.
Other custom features may be needed in the container. These features can include, in addition to stacking or nesting, storage and various sizes of the container. The options of storing and transporting must include easy adaptability to various covers, rings or handles encountered in the use or storage of the integrated circuit board. This great plurality of requirements for the device clearly complicates selecting the appropriate parameters and maximizing the advantage of each parameter.
Various points are needed to support an integrated circuit board in a container. It is difficult to form all of the required supports. Even if the container is made in two parts, it is difficult to efficiently join and seal the two parts together.
Clearly, it is desired to provide a container which can protect the circuit board in transport. This container must be resistant to difficult physical handling and must protect the integrated circuit board from various electrostatic charges. With such a container, the desired protection of the printed circuit board can be obtained.